A buyer's guide
How to choose an AI consultant
Six questions worth asking anyone before you hire them, including us. They're all checkable, and a good consultant will answer them without getting defensive.
1. Do you sell software, or take commissions from anyone whose tools you recommend?
This is the first question, because the answer changes how you read every other answer. A consultant earning a referral fee on a platform has a reason to recommend it that has nothing to do with your business.
What a good answer sounds like: A direct no, or a direct yes with the specific relationships named. Both are workable. What isn't workable is a vague answer.
2. When we're done, who owns it?
Some engagements end with a system you own and can run without the person who built it. Others end with a dependency, where the thing stops working if you stop paying.
What a good answer sounds like: You own it, it runs without them, and they'll hand over documentation. If the answer involves a monthly fee to keep your own process running, understand that before you start, not after.
3. What will this cost, and when will I know?
Open-ended consulting bills are the single most common reason small businesses regret hiring help. The fix is a number in writing before work starts.
What a good answer sounds like: A written quote with a cap, or a clear explanation of what has to happen before they can give you one. "It depends" is fine as a first answer. "It depends" as a final answer is not.
4. Will you tell me if AI isn't the right answer?
A lot of business problems are process problems, staffing problems, or nothing at all. Someone who only sells AI will find AI solutions.
What a good answer sounds like: A yes, with an example of a time they said it. Anyone who has done this work for a while has told somebody no.
5. Can you show me something you built, with a number attached?
Testimonials say someone was pleasant to work with. A number says something changed.
What a good answer sounds like: A specific outcome you could verify: hours saved, records processed, a before and after. Client names are a bonus, but the number matters more than the logo.
6. Will you come here and watch how we actually work?
Most of the time-wasting work in a small business is invisible on a call. It's the sticky note on the monitor, the spreadsheet somebody rebuilds every Monday, the thing everyone stopped noticing.
What a good answer sounds like: Yes, and early. Someone who wants to scope a project without seeing your operation is guessing.
One more thing worth checking
Make sure you actually need an AI consultant. If the thing that keeps breaking is a device, a login, or an outage, that's a managed service provider, and it's a different purchase. Here's how to tell the difference.
Ask us the six
The first hour is free and there's no obligation attached to it. Bring the list.
Book a free one-hour call